LIVESTOCK BREEDS

Dr. Smitha S.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Animal Husbandry
COA, Vellayani
 Definition of breed

• Breed is a group of animals within a species related by

descent (common ancestry) and posses similar
morphological, physiological and economic characters that
are inherited more or less firmly.
 Breeds of Cattle
• Classification based on utility
• Dairy breeds / Milch breeds/ milk breeds)
– Cows are good milk producers
– But bullocks are of poor quality
• Draught breeds
– Cows produce less quantity of milk
– Bullocks are good draught animals
• Dual purpose breeds
– Intermediate between dairy and draught cattle
i. Milk purpose (1500 to 2000 liters/lactation)
ii. Dual purpose (1200 to 1500 liters/lactation)
iii.Draught purpose
DAIRY BREEDS - GENERAL
CHARACTERS

Ponderous in built
Pendulous dewlap Loose
skin
Generally docile
udder well developed
with soft pliable skin and
prominent milk veins.
 Dairy cattle breeds
• Sahiwal
• Gir
• Red Sindhi
 Sahiwal

 Common name Lola

 Origin: Montgomery
Dist. of Pakistan
 Reddish dun colour with
white spots
 Short & stumpy horns
 Milk production -1500 to
2500 kg/lactation

Remarks: best dairy breed in the Indian sub continent and is

the best indigenous tropical dairy breed in the world
Sahiwal
 In the males, the hump is massive,
the dewlap is voluminous and
sheath is pendulous, tail-long and
almost reaching the ground with
black switch
 Red Sindhi
 Origin: Karachi Dist. of
Pakistan
 Colour of the breed is dark red, but
variations from a dull yellow to
almost dark brown are
found.Horns are thick at
the base and emerge
laterally and curve
upward.
 Milk production - 1500
to 2000 kg/Lactation
 Females weigh about 300-350 kg

Remarks : most economical milk producers among the Indian breeds of cattle.
This breed is extensively used to upgrade the local breeds in various regions of the
country
Red sindhi
 Dewlap and sheath
pendulous
 Adult males weigh about 450-500
kg
 The bull, has a darker red colour
than the cow
 Gir
 also known as Surti and
Kathiawari
 Gir forests of South Gujarat
 Red or Red with white
patches
 Broad convex forehead
 Long pendulous ears like
folded leaf
 Curved horns
 Sleepy appearance
 Milk yield 1,500 to 2,000
Remarks : Hardy animal known for its tolerance to stress
conditions
 Gir
• Weight of cow 450 kg.

Remarks : Milk yield 1,500 to 2,000 Hardy animal known for its
tolerance to stress conditions
 Gir

Weight of male- 600 kg

Draught breeds - General
Characters
Long barrel
Tight sheath
Tight skin
Fast gait
Alertness
 Draught breeds
• Kangayam
• Hallikar
• Amritmahal
• Khillari
• Bargur
• Umblachery
• Dangi
• Malvi
• Nimari
 Kangayam
 Kangayam,
Perunthurai and
Bhavani taluks of
Erode Dist. of TN
 Grey to dark grey
 Compact body short
and stout legs
 Ears erect and pointed
 Long pointed horns
 Dewlap small

Remarks : Calves are red at birth - changes to grey about six months
Kangayam
 Hallikar
Mysore Mandya and
Hasan Dist. of
Karnataka
Grey to dark grey
Prominent forehead
furrowed in the middle
Long face-coffin shaped
Long horns emerging
near each other
Sheath tucked up

Remarks:: One of the best draught breeds in South India

 Amirtmahal
 Origin - Hassan dist. of
Karnataka
 Colour - Grey
 Long tapering head
 Long horns emerging
close together
 Sheath close to body

Remarks : Famous draught breed known for its power and its
endurance
 Khillari
 Origin - Sathara
Dist. of Maharastra
 Greyish white in
colour
 Long pointed horns
 Long face with
bulged forehead
 Coffin shaped head

Remarks: Fast, powerful draught cattle

 Bargur
 Bargur hills of Erode
Dist. of TN
 Brown colour with white
markings
 Compact and medium in
size
 Horns long - Close at the
roots
 Tucked up sheath
 Thin, bony limbs
Remarks: Noted for their speed and endurance in trotting
 Umbalachery
 Origin: Tanjore,
Nagapatnam Dist. of
Tamil Nadu
 Grey with white
markings on face and
legs
 Small outwardly
curved horns
 Small and swift
animals
Remarks: One of the best draught breed of Tamil Nadu
Punganur
 Chitoor Dist. of Andhra
Pradesh
 White to grey in colour
 Short statured
 Vechur
 Origin: Vechur in
Kerala
 Light red, black or fawn
and white
 Small in size and
compact body
 Small thin horns

Remarks: Smallest cattle breed native of Kerala

Dual purpose breeds of cattle
 Dual purpose breeds
• Haryana
• Kankrej
• Tharparkar
• Ongole
• Krishnavalley
• Deoni
• Rathi
 Hariana
 Rothack, Hissar Dist.
of Haryana
 White or light grey
 Compact body
 Long face with flat
forehead
 Head carried high
 Short horns
 Milk yield 1000 to
1,500 kg/lactation

Remarks: Prominent dual purpose breed of Northern

India.
 Kankrej
 Origin - Gujarat
 Important dual
purpose breed
 Heaviest cattle
breed
 Silver grey color
 Strong lyre shaped
horns
 Milk Yield - 1000-
2000
Remarks: Sawai chal (Peculiar gait)
 Tharparkar
 Origin: Tharparkar
Dist. in Pakistan
 White or light grey
colour
 Short thick horns set
well apart
 switch is black

Remarks: Important dual purpose breed

Ongole
 Origin - Prakasam,
Nellore and Guntur Dist.
of Andhra Pradesh
 Glossy-white coat colour
 Large heavy animals
 Short, stumpy and blunt
horns
 Important dual purpose
breed of Andhra
Pradesh
 Krishna Valley
 Origin - Krishna Dist. of
Andhra Pradesh
 Grey-white in colour with a
darker shade on fore quarters and hind
quarters in male. Adults females are
more whitish in appearance.

 Large, Massive animals

Remarks: Exported to Brazil and USA

 Deoni
 Marathwada region
of Maharastra
 Spotted black and
white
 Dropping ears
 Short and blunt
horns

Remarks : Popular dual purpose breed of Maharastra

 Rathi
 Origin: Rajasthan
 Medium sized
symmetrical body
 Brown with white
patches
 Short to medium sized
horns
 Pendulous sheath

Remarks: Milk yield - 1500 to 2000 kg/lactation

 Breeds of Indian Buffaloes
Murrah Gujarat Uttar Central India South India
group group pradesh group group
Bhadaw
Murrah Surti Nagpuri Toda
ari
Jaffarab South
Nili-Ravi Tarai Pandharpuri
adi kanara
Manda
Jerangi
Kundi Mehsana
Kalahandi
Sambalpur
 Murrah
 Origin – Haryana
and Punjab
 Jet Black in colour
 Massive body
 Short and tightly
curved horns with
spiral form
 Zig zag milk-veins

Remarks : Murrah means curled, lactation 1000 to 2,000 kg,

Fat% - 7.3, Best buffalo breed in the world
Surti
 Origin - Vadodara,
Surat Dist. of Gujarat
 Brown to silver-grey
colour
 Sickle shaped horns
 Two white bands
(chevron) below the
neck and in between
ears
 Milk yield - 1000 to
1500 kg / lactation
 Mehsana
 Cross between Murrah
and Surti
 Origin - Gandhi Nagar,
Ahmedabad Dist. of
Gujarat
 Black colour
 Sickle shaped horns
curved more upward
than Surti and less
curved than Murrah
breed
 Average milk yield -
Remarks: Persistent milker, Fat% - 7 1500 - 2000 kg/lactation
 Jaffarabadi
 Origin - Gir forest area
of Gujarat
 Black in colour
 Prominent broad and
convex forehead
 Horns are ring like
 Average milk yield -
2000 kg/lactation
 Average Fat% - 7.6

Remarks; Heaviest breed, Gir

 Nagpuri
 Origin - Nagpur and
Wardha Dist. of
Maharastra
 Black in colour
 Horns are long flat,
curved and carried
up to shoulders
 Average milk yield -
1000 kg/lactation
 Fat% -7 to 8.5

Remarks: Dual purpose breed

 Nili ravi
 Origin - Pakistan
 Black to Brown colour
 Wall eyed
 White patches on
forehead, face,
muzzle,legs and tail
 Curled horns
 Milk yield - 1500 - 2000
kg/lactation

Remarks: Panch kalyani

 Bhadawari

 Origin - U.P and M.P

 Blackish Copper colour
 Two white lines at lower
side of neck
 Milk yield - 800 to 1500
kg/lactation

Remarks: Known for their high fat content in milk (6-12.5%)

 Toda
 Origin - Niligris Dist. of
TamilNadu
 Fawn to ash grey colour
 Large and heavy head
 Horns are long, wide
apart and crescent or
semicircle shaped
 Milk yield - 500 kg in
200 days / lactation

Remarks: Milk is sweet flavoured , swamp buffalo

 Pandharpuri
 Origin:Solapur&
Sathara Dist. in
Maharastra
 Black colour
 Very long horns
extending up to shoulder
 Medium sized

Remarks: Milk yield - 1000 to 1500 kg/Lactation

 Exotic breeds of cattle
• Native of European countries
• High milk producers
• Heavy animals
• Bullocks are poor draught animals
• Imported to India for cross breeding
purpose
• Known as Bos tauras
• Humpless
• Generally docile
 Jersey
 Origin: Jersey islands of
U.K
 Tan to Cream colour
 Small dairy breed
 Short, dished forehead
 Medium sized sharp
horns
 Hide bound appearance

Remarks: Milk yield - 4000 to 5000 kg/Lactation Important

exotic cattle breed imported to India. Fat% - 5.4
 Holstein x Freisian
 Origin: Holland and
Denmark
 Black &white colour
 Largest dairy breed
 Milk yield: 6000 to 8000
kg/Lactation
 Low milk fat - 3 to 3.5%

Remarks : Highest milk producer in the world

 Brown swiss

 Origin: Switzerland
 Uniformly brown in
colour
 Large framed
 Milk production - 6000
to 7000 kg/Lactation
 Milk fat - 4%

Remarks: Second highest milk producer

 Guernsey
 Origin: United
Kingdom
 Fawn with white
markings
 Small pointed horns
 Milk production: 4000
to 5000 kg/Lactation
 Ranks fourth in milk
production
Remarks: Milk is golden colour
 Ayrshire
 Origin: Scottland
 Cherry red and white
colour
 Small pointed horns
 Milk production -
5000 to 6000 kg/
Lactation
 Milk fat - 4%

Remarks: Third highest milk producer

 Cattle – scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum : Chordata
• Class : Mammalia
• Order : Artiodactyla
• Sub order: Ruminatia
• Family : Bovidae
• Sub family: Bovinae
• Genus : Bos
• Species : Bos indicus (humped cattle),
• Bos taurus(no hump), Bos bubalis (buffalo)